THE UZUMAKI WHIRLPOOL SERIES

Ethan started working as a marine biologist in the Sea of Japan in 2016, and one day he was exploring a small Shinto temple after work. He noticed a carving on a wooden beam depicting flowing water, and that single observation inspired a years-long obsession with traditional Japanese representations of water. He has been studying an 1855 woodblock print by artist Utagawa Hiroshige titled Naruto Whirlpool for many years, and this depiction of a swirling whirlpool inspired him to pursue his Uzumaki Series. These fluid spirals form when water masses collide, creating dynamic and unpredictable patterns. Ethan finds these pieces to be both challenging and cathartic to create, and he hopes viewers find a sense of calm in them. Ethan and his family visited Naruto in 2025 to experience firsthand what Hiroshige saw in the swirling tidal current, and he will be working from the photos he took for years to come.

"Uzumaki/Whirlpool No. 6" (2025) 20 inches in diameter.

"Uzumaki/Whirlpool No. 1" (2019) 74 inches wide x 24 inches tall.

"Uzumaki/Whirlpool No. 5" (2025) 56 inches wide x 24 inches tall.